Ancient Wounds
by EvelynWn
Summary: When Haga throws the pieces of Exodia into the ocean an ancient Pharaoh is desperate to save his old friend, even though his current spirit can't remember why it matters so much. And all Jounouchi wants is to get Yugi back on the boat. A companion piece to The Life of a King, but holds it's own separately.


There was a nervous energy going around the room. Yugi knew why for most of them. They were all duelists, gamers who loved the same game, yet they were also enemies. By the end of the boat ride, they'd all be competing for the title King of Games. Some had managed to put that aside and used the cease-fire as an opportunity to make friends and increase the strength of their decks. Others didn't, hoarding their secrets and maintaining their strategies.

Yugi's energy came from a different source altogether.

"Ojiichan," he whispered to himself as he held his deck close. It was heavily based on the one his grandfather had given him to avenge his loss at Death-T. Yugi had tried to give it back but Solomon had refused it. He'd said Kaiba's duel was just the beginning and Yugi would need it more. Clearly, he was right.

But it wasn't entirely the same deck. Yugi had rearranged it a tad, placing his favorites inside and removing some that just didn't fit his play style.

The deck was both of theirs now.

Yugi watched Jounochi zip from trading group to trading group trying to get the best cards he could find, but he made his way out of the communal room. The deck was dark the ship lights barely touching the dark waters below but the breeze was nice. There was a sense of awe he didn't quite understand at seeing the vast ocean below him.

"Never seen the ocean before?" Yugi said to himself. The feeling hadn't come from him, he'd been to the beach often enough that the awe had faded for him.

"I guess if the puzzle comes from Egypt, you probably do too. People from the desert don't get much chance to see the ocean. But Japan is an island, so you'll probably see lots of ocean now."

Yugi didn't know if the spirit that inhabited his puzzle could hear him. He'd never heard the spirit speak back so probably not.

"Not going to trade with everyone else Yugi?" A voice came from behind him.

"Hey, Haga."

"Private rooms get boring," he explained approaching the deck at Yugi's side.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to trade. My deck is just fine as it is."

"Confident. That's good. Me too." Haga nodded. "I saw your battle against Kaiba."

Yugi's heart shuttered at the memory. The whole of Death-T was a memory he'd like to forget, but no one seemed willing to let him.

"That wasn't…"

"I had a feeling you'd be invited to Duelist Kingdom, with a match like that. So I recorded it, y' know, get to know your enemy and all that."

"Oh…" Yugi wasn't sure why Haga was telling him this but he listened all the same.

"To think there's actually someone out there who managed to find all the pieces of Exodia."

"Well, to be fair it was my grandpa—"

"Can I see them?" He looked at Yugi with big pleading eyes.

"Oh, I guess it couldn't hurt. You already know I have them." Yugi searched his deck for the five cards and handed them to Haga.

"I've watched your fight with Kaiba a hundred times. Spent days developing strategies to counter every card, but I couldn't think of anything to counter Exodia." Haga said and his shift in tone made Yugi nervous.

"Until now."

If he was in a movie Haga throwing his grandpa's best cards in the ocean would have been in slow motion, with dramatic yelling and the lot. But in real life it happened so quick that Yugi couldn't even react before Haga walked off, laughing at his own success.

Acting more on instinct than thought Yugi catapulted himself over the banister.

He blacked out before he even hit the ocean.

#

Jounouchi flew out the door when he saw Yugi jump. He wanted to go after Haga, to punch the little twat so hard his cards could feel it. But instead, he leaned over the banister, looking for his friend.

"Yuug? What the hell?"

There was no answer, dark as it was he could still see Yugi desperately floundering for whatever it was that Haga had tossed overboard.

God, if it was the puzzle Yugi would never recover.

Jounouchi looked desperately around for something to get Yugi back on board, no letters, no lifeboats, at least not nearby.

Rope, there was a rope and a long one. But Jounouchi had seen him in gym class, Yugi's upper body strength was nill to none. He'd have to jump down after Yugi and help him back up.

Jounouchi tied the rope to the banister and threw it down, Yugi ignored it in favor of a terrifying dive into the water.

"God, damn it Yuug. If you die here I'll never forgive you." He said before diving rope in hand after his best friend.

It was dark, but the yacht was so brightly lit the sun probably set out of jealousy so he was still able to find Yugi in the water.

He grabbed Yugi around the waist and Yugi fought his grip. Doing everything short of biting he could to get free. They reached the surface thrashing.

"Cut it out Yuug. It ain't worth dying over."

"Let go of me!"

Jounouchi almost did out of pure shock. That wasn't Yugi's voice. Or it was but it was wrong in all the ways that weren't Yugi. By now, Jounouchi could tell the difference between Yugi and his alter-ego. And this wasn't Yugi. He peeked and the Puzzle was still hanging around the Other Yugi's neck but else could cause this kind of reaction? He'd never seen the Other Yugi lose his cool for a moment, and here he was risking both their lives and panicking like he'd lost his best friend or something.

"It's too late," Jounouchi cried readjusting his grip. "It's gone Yuug. It's gone."

The Other Yugi stopped fighting and allowed Jounouchi to guide him to the rope. Even grabbing on of his own free will.

"Tie him to it! We'll pull him up."

Jounouchi looked up at the deck, surprised. Sure enough, there was Honda and Anzu.

"What're you guys doing here?"

"Ask questions later, come on."

The Other Yugi didn't fight when they hauled him out of the water. He didn't do anything really even when safely on deck he just sat there looking out into the water.

"Are you crazy?" Jounouchi half-yelled still the Other Yugi ignored them.

Truely ticked off now and coming down from his adrenaline rush he grabbed Yugi and shook him. "Talk to me!"

"Jounouchi, it's me," Yugi said back to his soft-spoken personally. Jounouchi stopped shaking him but didn't let go.

"What? He just left? Why?"

"I'm not sure." Yugi looked down at his puzzle holding it in both hands. "I can still feel him though and I'm not sure what he's feeling. I don't think he even knows."

"What happened? I saw Haga throw something in the ocean."

"Exodia, the pieces of Exodia."

"What really? I mean that sucks, but they're still just cards. It's not like you can't get grandpa back without them."

"Yeah, I'm not sure why but they were really important to him somehow."

Yugi closed his eyes and focused on the Puzzle, or maybe just the feeling emanating from it.

"He's sad like he's lost a friend. But also confused, because he doesn't know why he's sad." Yugi opened his eyes and Jounochi could see his eyes start to get watery. "I'm sorry, Other Me."

Yugi started to shiver, his wet jacket doing little for the night chill.

"C' mon, Yuug. You'll both feel better once we get you in some dry clothes." Jounouchi guided his sad puppy of a friend back into the warmth. "And Other Yuug, don't you worry. We'll get Haga back for this. He'll regret messing with us. I promise."


End file.
